Attaining health and wellness is a goal that almost everyone strives for, but few truly achieve. With so many distractions in daily life, from work and school to fun with friends, remembering to carve out a portion of your day for a consistent wellness routine is a serious challenge.
However, it’s not impossible. There are steps that you can take today to change your habits, refocus your energy, and approach health and wellness with a mindset that paves the way for success. If you have been losing your energy and feeling stressed out lately and you need help to achieve optimal health. In this post, we’ll walk you through some of our favorite ways. Read through these 7 tips and mix and match your favorites to help you build wellness routines that work for you.
Start the day with a moment of mindfulness
Mindfulness is all the rage these days — and with good reason. Spending just a few minutes each day focused and mindful of your thoughts can have tons of beneficial effects on your mood. Think of it essentially as a refresh button for your mind. It clears away the anxiety and clutter and leaves room for focus and great results.
New to the practice? Here are just a few ways that you can incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine:
- Mindful meditation: You can use guided meditation to take you on a journey through your thoughts, focusing on positivity and kindness.
- Walking mindfully: Going for a walk isn’t always mindful — but it can be. Try taking it slow and paying special attention to everything around you.
- Mindful eating: All too often, we eat out of boredom or just to fill our bellies. Instead, try focusing on the flavors of each food you put into your mouth, chewing slowly and mindfully as you do.
Speaking of mindful eating, that last point brings us to the next tip.
Keep a log of what you eat
Food diaries can be a great way to ensure you’re eating healthy and staying on track with health and fitness goals. Plus, they can be easy to use if you build up the habit. An easy way to keep track is to purchase a notebook or planner and simply record the things you ate that day. You can also leave a little space to write down a few notes about how eating what you did make you feel — a great supplement to mindful eating.
If pen and paper aren’t your thing, there are plenty of diet and exercise tracking apps out there that you can use to keep track of your progress, too. These days, it’s easier than ever to make a goal for yourself and track your progress on your own terms.
Opt for plant-based foods
Did you know that eating meat is one of the most unhealthy choices for your diet that you can make? It’s true — and it’s not just meat, either. Dairy products like cheese are also associated with a variety of health problems, from high cholesterol to clogged arteries and even bowel cancer. While a little bit of fish here and there may be good for you, in general, it’s much wiser to opt for a fully plant-based diet. If you are looking for CBD products to help you with your physical and mental needs.
If you do make the switch, be sure to invest in plant-based Omega-3’s and B12, however, as these are key nutrients that are more commonly available through fish and meat.
Prepare your meals ahead of time
Another key diet change to make? Meal prepping. We know, we know — it’s kind of a cliche now. But honestly, it’s a cliche partly because it works. When you know ahead of time what food you’ve planned, and how much protein, carbs, fats, fiber, and micronutrients you’re feeding your body, it’s much easier to stick to the changes you’ve committed to.
At the very least, just give it a shot and see how you like it. Try purchasing some meal prep boxes online (they can be pretty cheap!) and plan your meals for just 3 weeks. See if you don’t start noticing a difference in your mindset toward food and nutrition!
Set attainable workout goals
Your next step is to set workout goals. What sort of workout are you looking for? Do you want to bulk up and build muscle? Or do you prefer a leaner frame built by a few months of cardio? How often do you visit a fitness center or a gym for workout? Whichever workout routine you set your mind to, be sure that you set attainable goals.
What does that mean? Well, too many people find a picture of their favorite athlete, model, or yogi and say that they want their body to look like theirs after just a couple months. Then, when it doesn’t happen (because working out takes much longer than that!) they get discouraged and stop working out altogether.
Instead, pace yourself, focus on building strength and endurance on your own time, and remember to be patient. True strength can take months, even years to build.
In addition to setting attainable workout goals, don’t forget self-care. Self-care is hugely important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Things you can do to take care of yourself, include a spa day every once in a while, better your skin care routine, take time to read books that make you happy or even treating yourself to some flowers.
Track your progress
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye on your progress, though. It’s a good idea to check in every couple weeks to see how your times have improved, or to increase the number of reps you’re doing, or go up in weight on your dumbbells.
Tracking your progress keeps you accountable and ensures that you’re staying on track with your goals.
Remember to love yourself
Lastly, even as you strive to improve yourself and become healthier, the most important thing to remember is that you’re doing this because you care about yourself. Too many people think that their bodies are ugly or unworthy before they start working out, so their workouts become a type of punishment for themselves.
This kind of attitude will only make it harder to feel motivated. Instead, remember that your body is beautiful, and that it’s amazing that it can put in the work that it does every day! Remember to love yourself throughout your self-improvement and wellness journey. At the end of the day, happiness doesn’t come from a flat stomach or bulging biceps; it comes from accepting yourself for who you are.
Matt Casadona has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Psychology. He is currently a contributing editor for 365 Business Tips. Matt is passionate about marketing and business strategy and enjoys the San Diego life, traveling and music.
